Edward Blake

Blake, Edward, 1833–1912, Canadian Liberal party leader, b. Upper Canada (Ontario). A prominent constitutional lawyer, he was elected to the House of Commons in 1867. In 1871 he became premier of Ontario, and he later served as minister of justice (1875–77) in Alexander Mackenzie's government and as leader of the Liberal party (1880–87). After withdrawing from Canadian politics (1890), he sat in the British House of Commons (1892–1907) as an Irish nationalist.